Sunday, 30 August 2015

Just as I stepped out of the transport in the city of Rovinj, I luckily witnessed the fireworks that were marking the end of the annual summer festival; and whilst staring at awe, I was getting the feeling that this was going to be a memorable week. Past midnight and I took a boat to the beautiful Katarina island, which was just around 2 minutes away from town, and my home there, namely Hotel Island Katarina, turned out to be an enormous yet quaint 19th century style hotel.

As I headed out for my first session after the next 6 hours, the light of dawn revealed a breathtakingly picturesque scene. Daylight reflected a completely colourful and vibrant coastal city, with houses splashed in pink, yellow and stone white; definitely a beautiful place worth getting lost in. It was quite difficult to resist staring at the turquoise blue sea whilst walking down the cobbled streets to work!

I only got to see the old town properly during my
last day so here are some pictures taken then. The beach view is just something
out of a postcard and the waters clear and warm (was there during late August). Another thing I’ll never forget are the Rovinj nights; the perfect
coastal night outs with a variety of good pubs (I recommend the local Ožujsko shandy for starters) and
amazing seafood with lots of shots on the house by the generous
restaurateurs.

Our captain, who gave us all a tour in Croatian, German, Italian and
English while pouring us all some of his home-made Prošek shots and
wine. Thinking about changing my career path now... I have to confess I did end up drinking every day whilst on my week long stay there. Istrian cherry brandy and teranino are two things to try before you die. Overall, this was one of the most
relaxed trips I’ve ever been to.

The beaches from all corners are amazing and great for snorkelling or just relaxing on your back, or even jelly fishing, which we found out in a crowd shocking yet funny way. One thing I regret is not taking any pictures of myself and possibly one of the most fun bunch of people I've known. Perhaps that's why I didn't take any because I was having way too much fun. That's why these pictures are from around my last day there.

We also saw a group of kids hanging around an old gun bunker. I didn't look up on much Croatian history I'm afraid but I could see the point of needing one back in the old days, especially for a beautiful port like this.